Before The Dawn
by AbFab
Summary: Mulder and Scully run into trouble again, but this time there seems to be no way out of their 'animalistic' predicament. Ever imagined Mulder as a dog? Read it :D Story is based losely on the movie Ladyhawke : UPDATED
1. Prologue

Author: AbFab  
Title: Before The Dawn  
Keywords: strong Mulder/Scully UST ( might turn into MSR,. not sure yet ), Angst, Adventure  
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe  
Spoilers: Oh a few, nothing major, story is set somehwere in Season 6, so don't be afraid – No movie spoilers ;)  
Disclaimer: In the name of the Carter, the Fox and the holy 1013…I have sinned, I used the characters of The X Files for my story. Please forgive me. I'm deeply ashamed. I worship Mulder and Scully and I will not abuse them (too much ;) ). I don't own the show, I don't own the characters, I simply borrow them. Amen!  
Summary: Torn apart by unknown forces, Mulder and Scully have to face one of their greatest challenges. I will not tell you more, you'll have to read it! :)  
Note: This fanfic is based loosely on a movie, but I will credit it in the end, otherwise it will spoil all my fun! :)

I dedicate this little story to all X Philes out there. WE ROCK!! :-)

_Meet me after dark again and I'll hold you  
I want nothing more than to see you there  
And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away,  
We'll be lost before the dawn..._

_If only night could hold you where I can see you, my love  
Then let me never ever wake again  
And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away  
We'll be lost before the dawn..._

_Somehow I know that we can't wake again from this dream  
It's not real, but it's ours  
_

_Maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away  
We'll be lost before the dawn..._

_( Evanescence - Before The Dawn )_

--

XxX

**Prologue**

XxX

11.21 pm  
Somewhere in the North of Gaithersburg, MD

--  
_  
Things happened too fast. At one moment they were sneaking through the darkness, enlightening it only with the sharp beams of their flashlights, the next moment their world exploded into blazing chaos. Bright shapeless figures surrounded them, pushed and pulled and then…nothing._

Mulder was the first to regain consciousness. He lay face down on the hard concrete and it took him awhile to adjust his eyes to the darkness. At first he couldn't see anything, just feeling like a truck had hit him. Then, slowly, he could make out shapes in the dark and saw the small bundle a few feet away. He rose unsteadily and staggered over to his fallen partner.

" Scully?" His fingers slighty brushed her cold cheek. She stirred and her eyes fluttered open.

" Mulder? What happened?"

She tried to sit up, but he gently pushed her back.

" Careful. I don't know. All I remember is a bright light. And pain."

Scully groaned and Mulder helped her up in a sitting position.

" I'm a bit dizzy." He nodded.

" Me too. We were being moved." Scully followed his gaze. They were back at their car, which they had parked about a mile away from the abandoned military base.

She remembered climbing through a hole in the mesh wire fence and later through a broken window. They had made it to the second floor of the building when hell broke loose.

" Why would they bring us back to the car?" Her eyebrow arched up, but Mulder could only shake his head. " I have no idea. Let's just get back to DC, something is telling me we should just leave this place."

His warm hand grabbed hers and pulled her up gently. Their eyes met for a brief moment, hazel drowning in blue. She gave him a slight smile of thanks.

" I think I'm fine. The dizziness is gone."

They looked back at the shadows of the fence and shuddered.

It was an hour drive back to DC. Mulder's dizziness had not ebbed, so Scully had taken over the steering wheel. Her worried gaze shifted between the dark road and her partner.

" Do you still feel nauseous?"

He nodded and held his head in his hands. She could see the soft glow of perspiration on his forehead and decided to stop the car. Her hand touched his face and she felt his skin.

" You're not running a fever. Are you - ?" She didn't have a chance to finish her sentence. Mulder barely had time to unbuckle, open the door and lean to his right, when the content of his stomach decided to re-enter his mouth and hit the pavement. He heaved up all his dinner and the bit of coffee he had. Scully's hand caressed his back and suddenly stilled as uncontrolled spasms shook his body. His whole back started to convulse and Mulder went rigid. Scully immediately unbuckled and ran around the car, just in time to catch Mulder's body before he fell into his own vomit.

" Easy, partner." Panic slowly crept up her spine, as she somehow managed to pull him out of the car and ease him down to the ground.

Mulder's vision blurred and time seemed to loose it's path. He saw and felt Scully hovering above him, heard her distorted voice. But it all grew distant and unbearable pain seemed to rip his body apart.

" Sculleeeee…" He fought to open his eyes and saw her drift away, her face a mask of horror. " Oh God…."

Everything went black.

Duhduhduhduhduhduuuuuuuh X Files Music :D


	2. An early call

_Ring!_

A sudden, loud noise shattered the silence, fllowed by a gasp, a groan and then some ruffling noise as a hand searched for the phone that was hidden somewhere beneath the blankets.

_Ring! Ring!_

" Yeah, dammit. Just hold on." A hand reached for the lightswitch and turned it on, revealing the very tired and very drawn face of John Fitzgerald Byers. It took him some time to adjust his eyes to his surroundings and bit longer to actually find his wireless phone.

A look at his clock told him it was just 3am. Who had the guts to call that early?

" Hello?" He stiffled a yawn.

Nothing but a weird buzzing, maybe static, maybe wind.

" Hello?" He tried again.

Still nothing. Just as he decided to hang up, he heard a similar tired and slightly trembling voice.

" Byers? It's Scully."

Well, now he was awake.

" Agent Scully, are you alright? Is something wrong?"

Again silence and ruffling. He tried to prick his ears and finally heard Scully's angry voice shouting at someone or something. He wasn't sure.

" Byers, are you still there?" She sounded out of breath, scared and utterly confused.

" What is going on, Scully?"

" I can't tell you on the phone. Actually I don't even know if I can tell you at all, but there's something wrong with Mulder!"

" Is he hurt?" Byers was fully alert now. Mulder had sometimes called the Gunmen during the night, but Scully never did that. Well, she never called them at all. So something had to be wrong.

" He - Byers, I don't know. I really can't tell you. Will you please help me?"

" Of course, I'll wake the guys. Where shall we meet you?"

He could here the faint barking of a dog and the restless whipping of the wind.

" We're at a rest stop somewhere in the South of Gaithersburg."

" No problem, Agent Scully. Just hold on, we'll track you down."

Byers jumped out of the bed, put on his slippers and rushed out of the room, the phone stuck between his shoulder and cheek.

- TBC-

Okay, sorry, but just a very short chapter, hope it won't take me too long to write the next one, I have it all in my head, just need to write it down. Sorry it took me so long, but I've been really busy with work and university :P But I didn't forget this baby here ;)


	3. What happened?

" I think he's waking up!"

" Mulder?"

" Shht!"

Mulder's mind was floating. He liked the place he had been in. Warm and cozy like a comforting blanket. But the voices kept pulling him back to consciousness.

" Do you think, he'll remember?"

" Hopefully not…"

Mulder's eyes fluttered open and closed immediately when he realized that he was looking up at the three Gunmen.

" Oh Gosh…" His tongue darted out to wet his dry cracked lips and he tried to sit up.

A pair of hands pushed him back down.

" Easy buddy, that's my only Nightwish Shirt and I'd prefer you not throwing up on it."

Two Langley's hovered above him and he couldn't really make out which one was the real Gunman.  
" How many fingers am I holding up?"

"20?"

" 20?? He's still out of it." Frohike snorted and somebody held a glas of water to his mouth.

" Give him time to recover." Byers.

" What happened? Where am I?" The water felt good and eased the dry pain in his throat.

" At your appartment. Scully called us and we brought you here. Do you rememeber any of it?"

Mulder shook his head and dared to open his eyes again. The fog had finally cleared and the two Langleys had morphed back into one.  
" I only remember being in the car and feeling dizzy. Scully had…wait…what about Scully? Is she here?"

The Gunmen were sympathetically looking at each other which caused Mulder to jump up.  
" What happened? Where is she? Is Scully okay?"

" Calm down…and sit down…you'll probably need to!"

Mulder slowly sank back on the couch and swallowed back the fear that started to build up in his stomach.

" Do you remember anything about that military complex you went into?" asked Byers as he said down next to Mulder. The agent scrunched up his face and feverishly tried to remember anything.

" I only remember a bright light. We went in there and sneaked around…as usual. And then - nothing. I came back to me outside next to our car. Scully was out of it too, but she seemed fine once she'd woken up. Is she sick? What happened?"

" Mulder." Frohike started putting some of Mulder's special magazines aside to sit on his couch table.  
" Scully called Byers last night saying that there was something wrong with you. So we tracked her down and found her….well…we found both of you on this deserted rest stop near Rockville. You were in a - " He looked up at Langley who had his arms crossed infront of his chest and continued for him:  
" - unique condition."

The confused look on Mulder's face urged him to go on.  
" I don't really know how to explain it…" Langley shook his head and looked at Frohike questioningly.

" Maybe you should get Scully!" The small man said making Langley look even more miserable.

Mulder just shook his head:  
" What is going on?"

" Just wait." Byers said and didn't even look him in the eyes.

Langley returned a second later, holding something red and fluffy in his arms. A cat.

" Surprise!" He tried to joke, but Mulder's mouth just hang open.

" You are kidding me, right?"

" I wish I was." Langley put the cat down next to Mulder, who immediately inched away from it.

" Where is Scully?" He asked again, his voice serious and his eyes pleading.

" When we went to meet her yesterday evening she was fine, but you were…"

" A cat?"

Byers chewed on his lower lip, when Frohike answered:  
" Guess again."

" Guys, get to the point."

" A dog."

" A dog?"

" A Border Collie to be more specific. Frohike googled the breed, we weren't sure, since none of us ever had any dogs and - "

Mulder paled and just stared at the cat who had curled up on the couch staring at him. It was a beautiful cat with fluffy white and orange furr and blue eyes, which he remembered were unique for grown cats. He shook his head. This was ridiculous. But if he ever pictured Scully as a cat…well this would be it.

" How…?" Was all he could say, which earned him another sympathetic look.

He carefully touched the cat's furr which was soft and warm. _This can't be real. _The cat streched its orange legs and white paws and lazily got up, only to lay back down on Mulders lap. His eyebrows shot up and he couldn't repress a sarcastic comment:

" Oh yeah?? It takes you to be a cat to do that?"

Frohike snorted and then said:  
" Mulder, when we picked you up last night we brought you here immediately. Scully was really freaked out. She told us you had fainted and then transformed right infront of her eyes. We thought it was a joke."

" Yeah, for less than a second." Langley interrupted.

" Why?"

" Because the dog, well, you…immediately strated barking as soon as Frohike got near her."

" So not true." Frohike said, but a small blush crept up his cheeks. " We would expect you to tell crazy stories, but not Scully so we simply believed her. We brought you here to your appartment and sent Scully to bed. She was terribly tired and all messed up."

Mulder stared blankly at him:  
" You sent her to bed, Frohike?"

Langley grinned:  
" He did, but he didn't have a chance to follow, because the dog bit into his pants and yanked him back."

" No, it didn't, I stumbled."

" It did." " No!" " Yeah!"

" Guys - STOP! What happened afterwards? How did I change back and how did Scully…uh…well…"

Langley shrugged his shoulders.

" It must have been about half an hour ago, just before you woke up. That one minute you were drooling on the couch, the next you were laying there in your Adam's costume!"

Mulder hadn't even noticed and realized with a relieved sigh, that someone must have draped a blanket over him, which now covered his private parts and worked as a cushion for the cat.

" As soon as you changed back we wanted to tell Scully, but all we found was her clothes and the cat."

Mulder shook his head unbelievingly but wrapped his hands around the cat and lifted it up gazing at it closely. The cat didn't seem to mind and just stared back out of those sky blue eyes.

" Scully, is that really you?"

" I don't think she can answer, she's a cat, Mulder!" Frohike said, which earned him a slap on the back by Langley. " You weren't acting like a human when you were a dog."

The cat started to struggle probably having enough of being held in that uncomfortable way and Mulder yelped as her claws sank into the skin of his hands.

" Geez, ouch, that hurt. We really have to figure out how to turn things back to normal." Mulder said, sucking on a bloody scratch. " And we need to know how this transfiguration works. I don't think Scully will appreciate changing back into herself all of a sudden wearing nothing."

" She might not, but - " Frohike stopped when Mulder gave him a look that could have killed.

The agent wrapped the blanket securely around himself and got up.  
" I'm going to get dressed, after that we have figure something out."

- TBC -

Tadaa, okay, I guess now you know what this is based on. Yes, Ladyhawke. I love that movie. And I have planned on writing a fanfic with a similar storyline for years now. Hate it? Love it? Out of character? Let me know…

I gave the choice of animals a lot of consideration, believe me, but nothing seemed as appropriate to me as a dog and a cat. They reflect the charcters of Mulder and Scully sop perfectly ;)


	4. A warning

The Gunmen had left an hour ago promising him to find out more about the military complex. They also had wanted to research any strange happenings which might have occurred in that area.

Mulder sighed and flopped down on the couch.  
He'd been so eager to get into gear but the Gunmen had insisted he'd stay home for awhile.  
And as much as he hated it he knew they were right, so he had called in sick.

He didn't know if anybody was after them and he also quiete frankly didn't want to turn into a dog right infront of Skinner, or worse…a hall full of nosy agents who were just waiting to humiliate him for anything.

" We really messed this one up, didn't we, Scully?" He said to the cat who was jumping onto the couch next to him. She eyed him closely, which freaked Mulder out. Even as a cat Scully was still Scully. She meowed and huddled against him, pushing her nose into his arm.  
" Hey, what is it?"

He caressed her neck but the cat meowed again.  
" Hungry? Me too!"

He lifted the cat up into his arm and went to the refrigiator.  
" Let's see what we have. Hmm."

There wasn't a lot of food in it, just some old cheese and left over pizza.  
" Nah, that won't do any good."

He put the cat on the counter and rummaged through his cabinets.  
" That looks better."

He had found a tin of tuna, opened it and put the content on a plate. The cat sniffed at the food and looked up at him.  
" That's the only thing I've got! C'mon Scully, I know you're not too fond of fish, but cats love it!"

The cat sniffed at the tuna again and then started eating it purring delightedly.

" Well, someone is happy." Mulder grinned and stroked the orange and white striped furr again. The cat arched it's back and tail but continued eating eagerly. He poured some water in a little bowl and put it next to her.

Then he grabbed the left over pizza for himself and heated it up in the microwave.

With his mouth full he said:  
" I dunno, Shcully. We wreally have to figur' someth'n out." He forced down a particularly dry piece of pepperoni and continued: " We can't stay like that. I wish you could answer me. I really need to hear your voice."

That's when reality struck him. He pushed the rest of the pizza aside and almost choked on the lump in his throat. According to the Gunmen she'd turned into a cat when he'd turned back into himself. Which probably meant that as soon as she would change back into Scully, he would probably turn into a dog again. _Oh my God._ He wouldn't be able to talk to her at all for as long as they stayed in this condition.

He ran back to his living room and grabbed his phone dialing the Gunman's number.  
" Byers? Yes, it's Mulder. No, nothing has happened so far. Yeah, still a cat. No, we stayed inside. Now, do you have any news?"

He watched the cat finishing her food and then walking along the counter. It gracefully jumped down and crossed his kitchen until it was out of his side.

Something chirped. His cellphone.  
" Nothing? Oh. Hold on, Byers. I'll call you back, someone's on the other phone."

He pulled it out of his jacket and answered it.  
" This is Mulder."

" Agent Mulder." He didn't recognize the voice.

" Who is this?"

" A friend. Now answer me, Agent Mulder. Has anything odd happened recently?"

" What do you want?"

" So I guess something _did_ happen. All traces should have been erased by now, so there is chance for you to trace anything back to the military base."

" Who are you?" Mulder tried again, but he could only hear the other man chuckle.

" I doesn't really matter, Agent Mulder. But if you value your life and that of your lovely partner you should leave DC immediately. These people don't tend to let failed experiments run around freely."

" Failed experiments? Is that what we are?"

" They didn't believe it had worked, imagine their surprise when they found out about your little trick. Now, I will call you again as soon as I can, but until then you should grab your partner and get away as far as you can. They will not let this rest."

With those words his informant cut the line and left Mulder stunned.

" Damn!" Mulder didn't hesitate and called back Byers.

" I need your help. How fast can you get here??"

- TBC -

Tadaa, ohoh, what will Mulder do? And what will Scully say?

Thanks for the reviews guys :D

Dana42: Hehe, I guess Maggie Scully wouldn't be too pleased with that. Who raises their daughter to be a cat? LOL. Thanks so much for your reviews :) Oh, Skinner will find out. But not yet


	5. Leaving DC

" So what are we going to do?" Frohike asked, while he was driving the old VW bus.

" Go to Scully's apartment first to fetch some of her clothes and toiletry."

Mulder shifted in the backseat and tried to hold on to the cat which was eager to explore the car. It protested with a loud meow when he pulled it back into his lap.  
" C'mon Scully, stay put. Just for a little while."

" You can't keep calling her Scully." Byers said. " If they are after you, you should at least cover up a bit." The two other Gunmen agreed.

" What am I supposed to call her then?"

" You can always go with 'cat' !" Frohike suggested, but Langley grimaced.  
" Don't be silly. Who calls their cat 'cat' ?"

They all fell silent trying to come up with a name. The cat meowed unhappily and started to scratch at Mulder's hands again.  
" Ouch, stop being feisty."

" That would be a cool name." Langley suggested. But Mulder shook his head.

" I'm not going to call her Feisty."

" Just call her 'cat'." Frohike rolled his eyes and stopped the car infront of Scully's appartment building. They all got out and into Scully's appartment. Mulder was relieved to be able to let the cat run around freely for awhile and went to get some of Scully's clothes.

" I can help you, Mulder." Frohike suggested but Mulder just glanced angrily at him he so he gave that idea up quickly.  
" Just look after the cat, will you?"

The little man nodded, sighed deepely and went after the cat who was stretching against the wall scratching at the wallpaper.  
" Stop it, Scully will kill you. Hold on, that would mean you would commit suicide. Oh, this is really starting to grow over my head." He mumbled and tried to get the cat's attention by noisely shaking a pack of TicTacs.

Meanwhile Mulder had put some of Scully's clothes and underwear in a bag and went to the bathroom to fetch her toiletry bag, which he knew was under the sink.

He quickly returned to find Byers and Langley hovering above a huge map discussing possible destinations. They both looked up and beckoned him to look at it as well.  
" Where do you think we should go?"

" Well, at first we have to figure out what to do about this whole mess. I hope this guy calls again and tells us what to do next. Meanwhile we might just head West, what do you think?"

They nodded not because they necessarily agreed but they had no better idea.

" And we need something to put the cat in, otherwise we'll all look like war survivors pretty soon."

" We can stop at a pet shop and get one of those transport boxes."

" Scully will surely kill us for that one."

" I don't care as long as we don't end up like Frohike." Langley nodded at his friend who held the fighting cat in his arms. His face was covered with scratches.

" Just as stubborn as her human self." He mumbled and tightly held on to the furry orange bundle.

An hour later they had left DC and went on the highway.

The cat had curled up inside of the transport box and seemed to be asleep. Mulder felt bad for putting his partner in that position, but he knew it was the best for all of them.

He felt desperate and checked his cellphone every few minutes. But the secret informant hadn't called again.

" We'll figure something out, Mulder." Byers said sympathetically but he couldn't lift Mulder's spirits.  
The agent had no clue on what to do, he didn't even know who exactly they were up against. He hated feeling helpless. He was longing to talk to Scully, just to hear her voice, to listen to her suggestions or at least to just look at her face. He missed her so much it hurt. But he had to consider a possible future without her. Maybe there was no way to turn things back. Maybe it would be like this for the rest of their lifes. _No!_ He mentally slapped himself. _You can't think that way._ _Things have always worked out in the end, why should it be different that time? _He felt even more depressed. _Because she's not here with you._

" I need to contact Skinner." He suddenly said and wondered why he hadn't thought about that earlier.

Langley, who was driving, looked in the rear view mirror and their eyes met.  
" Yeah, maybe he can figure something out. He probably has connections. Or knows somebody who does."

Byers nodded.  
" You should contact him as soon as we stop somewhere. But we have to figure out a safe way to do it."

Mulder nodded and they all fell into silence again. Not much longer and the sun would set, he thought, staring at the beautiful countryside along the highway. _The sun will set._ A weird feeling was creeping up his back.

- TBC -

Another short chapter, sorry, but I know where I'm heading ;)


	6. Otl

Something told him the sunset wasn't a good thing. The more he thought about it the more he just wanted to get out of the car and hide somewhere.  
" Guys, do you remember what time it was when…well…when the transformation happened?"

" We didn't really check our watches, Mulder." Frohike said looking at him strangely. " What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost."

" But it was early morning, right?"

All three Gunmen nodded.  
" I think the sun just went up."

" It went up?" Mulder mumbled as if he had never heard of a sunrise before.

" Well, it does that every morning, dude." Langley commented.

Mulder rolled his eyes and then shot back sarcastically.  
" Yeah, but usually people don't turn into animals when that happens."

Byers' eyebrows arched up:  
" Do you think it's related to the daytime?"

" Let's call it a hunch." He leaned forward. " Langley, we need to stop at the next motel. I don't want to be in the car if my theory is right. And I don't think Scully should be in that thing." He pointed at the transportation box.

" Okay, the next motel will be ours."

Mulder leaned back into his seat and continued staring out of the window. He'd never really minded if it was day or night. Most of his nights were as long as his days anyway. But right now the sun seemed like a growing threat.

He noted that the shadows had started to grow wider as if to greet the upcoming darkness.  
The next exit was still many miles away and all he could do was wait, when he really just wanted to run around and scream at someone.

The cat started to move in the transportation box and he opened the door to let it out.  
" You feel it too, don't you?"

The cat meowed miserably.

" I know, it's a horrible feeling." He pulled the orange furrball into his lap and stroked the cat's head. It curled up on his legs purring softly. Mulder smiled and let his hand slide over the soft furr of its back up to the end of the long tail.

He wondered how Scully would react to all of this. Something told him she wouldn't be going to take it as easily as he had. And she would have to put up with the 3 Gunman herself.

" I wish I could talk to you, even if it was just for a second…" He whispered to the cat. " I miss you, Scully."

The Gunmen had the courtesy to pretend being busy with something else. Byers stared out of the window, while Frohike rummaged for the map. Langley's eyes every now and then looked at him through the rearview mirror, but he ignored him.

The day had passed so quickly. Maybe because it was early november, but probably more because he was now aware of how little time he had until things would change again.

" There's a motel!" Langley suddenly cried and all gazes went up.

It was a shabby place, some lightbulbs were broken so the green and red neon writing just spelled "Otl". But it would do it's job.

They discussed about what to do next and agreed on a plan. Byers would check in there alone and order two rooms next to each other. They would all go in as soon as Byers returned.

" And remember... tell us if you notice anything suspicious."

Byers nodded and then left the car. The sun was now so low it almost touched the thin cloudy line above the horizon. Mulder felt fear creep up his spine again wondering how long it would take Byers to get back. He carefully put the cat back into the transportation box and tried to soothe it as it protested loudly.

" Feisty has to stay in there until we get to our rooms." Langley stated. Frohike's eyebrows shot up in amusement while Mulder just shook his head.

" We are not going to call her Feisty! We discussed that before."

" But you have to admit, Mulder, it's pretty appropriate."

" Is it? I would like to see how you'd act it if I locked you in there."

That shut both of the Gunmen up and they waited silently for Byers' return.

" What is taking him so long?" Mulder asked anxiously gazing at the now golden sun.

About two minutes later they saw him re-emerge from inside the motel holding two large keys in his hands.  
" I think it's safe. I looked around but didn't notice anything strange."

They got out of the car, unloaded the trunk and then went into the motel. It was even shabbier then from the outside. The ugly brown flower wallpaper was flaking from the wall and the floor was disgustingly dirty.

" Ew."

" Now c'mon Langley, your room at home isn't any better." Frohike snorted and then yelped as Langley's foot painfully connected with his shin.

" I really don't care, let's just get into our rooms." Mulder stated absent-mindedly. Number 23 and 24 were on the end of the long and dimly lit hallway. They unlocked the first room quickly and dumped their luggage on the floor.

" What now, Mulder?" Byers asked looking out of the dirty window at the beginning sunset.

" I feel weird." The agent answered swaying slightly. He quickly unlocked the box and grabbed the cat. She meowed pitifully and he gently stroked her back while holding her close.

Then he felt it starting. A tingling sensation in his fingertips and toes.  
He ran to the bathroom, put the cat in, shut the door and then collapsed to the ground.

" Mulder, are you alright? Is it happening again?"

He couldn't answer, pain was now searing through his body as his muscles spasmed.  
The Gunmen were at his side instantly. Their shocked faces was the last thing he saw, when his world slowly faded into black.

" Scully…" he thought and then lost consciousness.

- TBC -

**Tadaaa…!  
Please be kind and give me a feedback. Like it? hate it? let me know. I'm graving for reviews :)**


	7. Scully, confused!

Scully woke with a splitting headache. She groaned and lifted her hands to her head. There was a small lump on the side of her face.

The next thing she became aware of was how cold the ground felt. She opened her eyes and realized she was laying in some bathroom on cold tiles. She had no idea how she had gotten there and rolled on her back, yelping when it touched the icy ground. She looked down at herself realizing she was naked. _What the hell?_

She dizzily got up and grabbed one of the green towels that were laying folded up on the side of the bathtub. She wrapped herself in it and then glanced in the mirror. She looked horrible with dark bags under her eyes and her hair a mess.

She didn't recognize the bathroom. She ran to the door, opened it and found herself in a motelroom with the three Gunmen starring at her. Their mouths hang open and she felt herself blush.

Byers was the first to recover and quickly handed her a bag.

" I - uh- here are some of your clothes." He stammered and then quickly looked away.

She nodded and straightened herself. There had to be a way to get out of this embarassing situation.

" I'll get changed. If you'll excuse me."

She quickly went back into the bathroom, slammed the door shut behind her and took a deep breath. She had absolutely no idea what was going on and tried to remember how she had gotten into that mess.

_We went to Gaithersburg to investigate that military complex._ So far, so good, she thought, slipping into her underwear. _We got inside and then there was this strange light. We regained conciousness outside the building next to the car._ Scully chewed on her lower lip and absent mindedly stepped into a pair of jeans she had pulled out of the bag. _We decided to leave the place immediately and then Mulder got sick._

Her eyes widened at that memory. She grabbed a black turtleneck and looked into the mirror again, right into the blue of her eyes, as if to make sure it was really herself remembering.

Mulder had not just gotten sick. He had turned into a dog right in front of her eyes. At first she simply didn't believe it. She had rubbed her eyes and pinched her arm telling herself she was probably still unconcious. But neither had she woken up nor had Mulder returned, so she had frantically done the first thing that had come to her mind: Calling the Gunmen.

Scully slipped the turtelneck over her head and then pulled her hair out. It spilled like fire around her face and she noticed it seemed to be the only thing that still felt the same.

So okay, she had seen Mulder turn into a dog and she had woken up in a state of undress in some bathroom of some motel somewhere. And the Gunmen were outside in the bedroom. That didn't mean she had lost her mind, did it?

She shook her head, rummaging through the bag Byers had handed her. The higgledy-piggledy combination of her clothes somehow didn't even bother her, it was the least weird thing right now. She gave a sound of relief when she found her toiletry bag and shook her head again. _This is going to take some explanation._

* * *

" Shoot me now and I'll die as a happy man!" Frohike mumbled still staring at the door Scully had shut about half a minute ago.

Langley rolled his eyes and looked questioningly at Byers. " How are you going to tell her?"

Byers, who had put a collar around the dogs throat, looked up: " How am 'I' going to tell her?"

The dog suddenly jumped up and pulled Byers with him. Langley grabbed his friend by the sleeve of his suit jacket.  
" Thank God we bought the dog leash. He'd trash the whole room."

Frohike who had finally managed to losen his gaze from the door snorted: " Yeah, thank God we did, now we only have to figure out how to avoid being killed ourselves."

He got up and looked down at the dog. " Sit!"

Mulder, the dog, looked back at him, barking happily and whipping his furry tail.

" I said Sit!" Frohike tried again, but the dog had other things in mind. He barked once more, pulling at the leash - which was connected to Byers - who was connected to Langley - dragging them along to the door.

" I think he wants to go outside." Frohike said, taking a few steps backward as Langley glared at him.

" Yeah, in case you haven't noticed, we still need to tell Scully before we go anywhere."

" Tell me what?" A female voice interrupted their discussion. They looked around at Scully, who was watching them amused and bemused at the same time, her hands on her hips.

" You look lovely, Agent Scully." Frohike blabbered, cursing himself for the blush that seemed to crawl up his cheeks against his will. _But she does look lovely_ he told himself, willing the blush to fade away. He had never seen her dressed casually ( _Or just in a towel!_ A voice in the back of his mind whispered ) before.

" Thanks." She said, raising an eyebrow. Not at Frohike, but at the other two Gunmen who still wrestled with the dog, that had decided to change directions towards Scully.

" So I didn't dream it." Scully stated, shaking her head. " Where are we?"

The dog barked and she crouched down beside him scratching him behind his black floppy ears. Byers released the leash and handed it to Scully.

" We're at motel near Huntington."

"Huntington? West Virginia? Why did we leave DC?"

Byers sighed: " Why don't we all take Spooky here for a walk?"

- TBC -

Sorry, I actually planned on writing a longer chapter, but you know how it it...college, work, a life to live ;) And it's getting pretty late. Hm, I have to get up pretty early tomorrow, but I wanted to post this chapter tonight.

Thanks for all the reviews, I really really appreciate it :-) That's what makes a writer really happy :D

lateBloomer04: Thanks, good to know that the humor is recognizable :D I didn't want the story to be too dark.

Dana42: Yeah, I based this ff losely on the movie Ladyhawke ( Michelle Pfeiffer is a falcon during the day and Rutger Hauer is a wolf at night. :) Nah, I think Mulder would kill them if they tattooed an UFO on his butt. Funny idea though. I'd love to see Mulder's face when he finds out ( especially since people rarely ever look at their own butts ;) )

Yeah, ANGST is gooooooooooooooooooood! :D


	8. WHAT?

The first stars started to sprinkle the sky as Scully and the Gunmen exited the motel. A cold wind whipped through the branches of a nearby forest and dulled the noises of the cars on the highway. Scully hugged her jacket close to her body while holding on to the dogleash.

Mulder _ No…Spooky the dog, not Mulder! _ pulled her across the parking lot, up a small hill and into the dark forest. The Gunmen reluctantly followed silently arguing who was going to spill the news.

The bare-branched trees towered above them and were tinged in a silver dust of moonlight. Scully followed the dog behind a bush and turned around as he did his business. _Great_, she thought and waited until he was done.

" So, when are you guys going to tell me what happened?" She called to the Gunmen who were still arguing. They looked at her, the silver moonlight reflecting in their pale faces.

" What is the last thing you remember?" Byers asked carefully, deciding to take the same approach with Scully as earlier the day with her partner.

" We brought Mulder back to his appartment. Well - the dog." She hesitated: " It can't be Mulder?! I have to be hallucinating, there has to be another explanation for it. People don't turn into animals. That's physically impossible." She realized she was babbling and looked at the Gunmen, but they were just waiting patiently ( or probably enjoying the time when they didn't have to say anything ). " Tell me I'm wrong, guys. Tell me I was just imagining things."

No answer. Damn. No answer couldn't mean yes.

" Do you have any memory of anything that has happened after you went to take a nap?" Byers asked. Scully wrecked her brain, thinking hard. But it was as impossible as reconstructing dreams. As soon as a picture surfaced in her mind it busted like a soap bubble.

" No. " She answered truthfully, fearing Byers' response. " I went to sleep and woke up in a strange bathroom in some motel. In West Virginia. How can I not remember how we've gotten here?"

" Please don't panic, Agent Scully." Byers said, looking helplessely at his two friends. They were just shrugging their shoulders silently urging him to leave them the hell out of this mess. He sighed. _Cowards. _He took a deep breath and then began to tell Scully everything. About how they had brought Mulder home. How he had changed into himself again right in front of their eyes, how they found out she had turned into a cat, about the mysterious call, the trip to the pet store and their plan to drive West. Scully listened her eyes growing wider. Her eyebrows almost touched her hairline and her face grew even paler than the moon.

Byers watched her, saw the reflection of the stars in her wide unbelieving eyes. She just stood there staring back, unable to say anything trying to comprehend what she had just heard.

" Impossible…." she finally whispered grabbing the leash so hard her knuckles turned whit.

Byers hand shot out to touch her arm but she flinched back.

" You know this is crazy, don't you? You can't possibly think that I believe a single word you said."

" You see the dog, don't you?" Byers asked. " Why should we lie to you?"

Scully shook her head and stammered: " I don't know. Maybe we're dealing with a mind-altering kind of drug."

Langley rolled his eyes at that one and that brought Frohike into action.

" What drug would alter our mind in that kind of way? Look at the dog. It's real. We didn't make it up. We didn't buy a dog and drove to West Virginia for a practical joke, Agent Scully."

The little man took her hand in his and she loosened her grip on the leash.

" Don't worry. We'll find a way to fix this."

She just blankly stared into the darkness her eyebrows rising up again.

" A cat? Really?"

Frohike nodded and took the dog leash from her. The dog felt the hold on his leash loosen and took that second to run off to chase a straying cat.

" Oh damn! Frohike!" Langley shouted and bolted after the dog. " Spooky!"

A bark and a loud meow echoed through the forest and now all four of them were chasing after the dog.

Langley whistled, Byers tried an approach with a flashlight and Frohike shouted. But the dog didn't return.

" Spooky!" Scully simply said, not even raising her voice. But seconds later the dog jumped out of a bush, dry leaves sticking to his furr, pink tongue hanging out of his snout.

" Sit." Scully said and the dog followed her command.

" Now that is spooky!" Frohike stated looking flabbergasted.

- TBC -

Too short again, sorry…

Dana: Yeah, I know, I was just having fun :D But I really think it's funny ;D

Dammit, I'm having some kind of writer's block :(


	9. Frustrated

Scully stared at the white ceiling, her head bedded on her arms. She had kicked off her shoes and felt her toes going numb with coldness. She didn't care. She was busy staring holes into the wall. So it seemed. Her body was stiff from laying in the same position for two hours now and so tired it almost hurt. Her eyes burned, her nerves prickled, but she willed herself to keep on staring. Thinking, feeling the dog's soft fur caress the bare skin of her left arm and fighting a useless battle with herself.

The Gunmen were sleeping next door. It had taken her more than an hour to convince them to take their long needed rest. Though they had looked like they would fall asleep while standing and talking to her, they had insisted on keeping her company.

" You've got to help Mulder make things right." she had said. " There's no need to entertain me. There's nothing we can do right now. I'll take care of myself. I've got my gun. And the dog."

Now she could hear one of them snore, it sounded like Byers. It made her smile despite herself. All she really wanted to do was to scream and throw stuff against the wall. She felt helpless and Scully hated feeling out of control. Things that defied her control scared her though she would have never admitted it. And now staying awake was the only thing she was in power of.

The dog shifted his position, scratching himself and then looked at her with Mulder's hazel eyes. Scully sighed. She missed him terribly. He was there, somewhere. She wondered if he had felt the same way during the day. Terribly frustrated by the fact that his partner was so close but so unreachably far away.

She turned to her side until her cheek rested on his back. Her hand dug through the black and white furr and she felt tears well up in her eyes. Why had they gone to that military complex anyway? Now when looking back at that evening she could just shake her head in frustration. They should have known, should have learned from the past - abandoned complexes were rarely ever really abandoned. Sometimes she wondered if Mulder and her had the word 'Trouble' tatooed on their foreheads.

Her lids grew heavy and she shuddered as she pulled herself out of thoughts that were already across the borderline of sleep.

Somebody had called Mulder, somebody who must have known about their little trip - she remembered and never realized that that was the last coherent sentence her brain formed before she lost the battle and fell asleep.

* * *

The sun tickled his nose as Mulder stirred awake. He rubbed his itching face and turned around. Something shrieked and he jumped up, his sleep befuddled brain not immediately registering what was wrong. An orange furrball lept from the bed and it took him a few seconds to order his thoughts.

He heard noises from the other room and before he had a chance to react, the connection door flew open and the three Gunmen entered the room.  
" What's wrong?"  
" Is anybody hurt?"  
" Are you alright?"

They all screamed at once. Mulder grimaced and lifted one hand to silence them and the other to hold his aching head.  
" I'm fine. I think I just accidentally laid on the cat."

His eyes widened as he realized what he had just said and he immediately hunched down next to the bed under which the cat had vanished. It sat there in the corner, eyes sparkeling in the dark.

" I'm sorry..." he whispered but the cat just glared at him.  
" C'mon, don't be sulky, I didn't do it on purpose."

The cat didn't move, so he just shrugged his shoulders and sat up.

" Dude, go and take a shower, you look like you could need one..." Langley said pointing at Mulder's messy hair, his stubble and his worn out face.

The agent just nodded.  
" I need to call Skinner."

His friends nooded and handed him his bag.  
They tried to look as enthusiastic as possible, but that look vanished as soon as Mulder had closed the door to the bathroom.  
The Gunmen had NO idea about how to get their friends out of this mess.

A minute after Mulder had entered the bathroom his cellphone rang. The agent immediately jumped out of the shower, his body dripping water over the tiles. He didn't even care for a towel, just grabbed the phone, hit the button and answered out of breath:

" Mulder."

A now familiar voice responded.  
"Agent Mulder. Up and about?"

-TBC-

Feedback pleeeeease, I'm begging you!!!

Dana42: Yeah, wouldn't that be awesome. In the office....Mulder talking about a weird case...Scully being annoyed....Mulder continuing....Scully getting all hysterical...SIT AND SHUT UP....lol. If I ever had a male dog I would definitely call it Spooky :D Mulder is such a dog person, lol!

There'll be more action in the next chapters, I promise!!!


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